Steps to write an Engaging Story

Hope you find this useful and enjoy reading 

This writing is a combination of my personal experience of giving my talk on  various platforms and curating 100+ speakers and storytellers over last 5  years. 

Steps to write: 

• When you are writing your script, don’t use any filter and just keep  writing till you feel you have nothing more to write. This will ensure  that you do not miss anything that is inside you or experiences you had  or the situations you faced and stories that influenced you. 
• Once you finish writing, read it multiple times. Every time you read it,  you would want to delete few of the lines and words. You may also want  to replace or add few words/lines/instances 
• A point will come when you will feel happy and satisfied with the  writing. This is a good start. 
• Once you finish writing, give it a voice. When you give your voice and  perform for yourself, you may not like the sound of few words or the  sequence or few lines. Replace them. Perform again and a point will  come when you feel good about it….Your script is ready. 

Great writing is all about the power of the deleted word. It is true  for speaking too. The secret of successful talks often lies in what is  left out. Less can be more. 

What should go into the script: 

1. Remember you are delivering the talk but the Hero of the Talk has  to be the TALK itself. You are already a hero as its your story. 2. Idea: You are either writing a personal story of experiences and  lessons learnt or your entrepreneurial journey or your journey as a  professional or a combination of both. 
2. Write something that matters deeply to you or has touched you or has  changed your life or helped you in your journey. This aspect you need  to rebuild it inside the minds of your listeners. Let us call it an Idea or  hero of the talk for simplicity. An Idea or hero of the talk is anything  that can change how people see the world. If you can conjure up a  compelling idea in people’s minds, you have done something 

wonderful. In a very real sense, a little piece of you has become part of  them. Many of the best talks are simply based on a personal story and a  simple lesson to be drawn from it. Remember, it is a journey that  Speaker and Audience take together. Focusing on what you will  give to your audience is the perfect foundation for preparing your talk. 

4. The Thorough Line: Imagine a Garland (phulo ki maala). Phul kitne  bhi sunder ho, agar theek se nahin piroya, toh mala bilkul bhi sunder  nahin lagegi. Similarly, your story may have great ideas but if your  pointers in the talks are not connected, the audience could feel it. Their  facial expressions will say it loudly. Your talk should have a connecting  theme that ties together each narrative element, very much like the  beautiful maala. 
5. Checklist for thorough line 
6. Is this a topic I am passionate about? 
7. Does it inspire curiosity 
8. Is my talk a gift or am asking them for buying a product or  services of mine. No sales pitch. 
9. Is the information fresh, or is it already out there? 
10. Can I truly explain the topic in the time slot of 12 to 15 minutes  or less and complete with necessary examples? 
11. Do I know enough about this to make a talk worth the audience’s  time? 
12. Do I have the credibility to take on the topic? 
13. Narration 
14. Story is very important. Offer the right level of detail. Too  little and the story is not clear. Too much and it gets  bogged down. 
15. Fine tune your story 
16. Explanation 
17. You need to explain your narration 
18. Beware of the Curse of Knowledge. Sometimes our  knowledge about the subject takes us away from the point  that we want to make. 

iii. If you explain it well, it will create excitement 

6. Show why it matters: What’s the question you are trying to answer,  the problem, you’re trying to solve, the experience you’re trying to  share. Flesh out each point you make with real examples, stories, and facts. Don’t manufacture any of it. 
7. Structure of your talk: Every writing has a start, middle and ending. o Ways to OPEN strong 

▪ Deliver a dose of drama – Your first few words matter a  lot 

▪ Ignite curiosity 

▪ Show a compelling slide, video or object only if it  connects with your story 

▪ Tease but don’t give it away. Don’t give it on a platter, as  you will lose audience. For example – Over the next few  minutes, I plan to reveal what I believe is the key to  success as an entrepreneur and how anyone can cultivate  it. You will find clues to it in the story I’m about to tell  you. Vs. Today I am going to explain to you that the key 

to success as an entrepreneur is simply the  

determination. As an audience which one will you prefer? 

o Middle – This is where you take the audience expanding your  idea, talk about your highs and lows and take them with you. o Ways to END strong: If you held people’s attention through  the talk, don’t ruin it with flat ending. 

▪ Call to action: If you have given the attendees a  powerful idea, why not end by nudging them to act on it. 

▪ Personal commitment: If your call to action is  supported by your personal commitment to act, it makes  

a hell lot of difference. 

▪ Values & Vision: Can you turn what you have discussed  into an inspiring or hopeful vision of what might be? 

▪ Lyrical inspiration: Sometimes, if the talk has opened  people up, it’s possible to end with poetic language that  

taps deep into matters of the heart 

All the above steps above can be used with mix and match approach or chose  just one or whatever that fits in your story, your message. 

Wishing you a Great Writing 

Lokesh Nathany 

Storyteller | Motivational Speaker | Trainer | Curator | Host | Financial Protection &  Goals Champion | TEDx Speaker | Founder – My Innings | 

“Awarded 50 Most Innovative Storyteller of the year by World HRD Congress & World  Storytelling Congress” 

Mobile: 9052203070 and Email: lokesh@lokeshnathany.com